Skin thickness in different menopausal status.

It is well known that skin thickness will decrease in the years after menopause. Women may have climacteric symptoms including those associated with skin alterations as early as during the perimenopausal period. This study was performed to compare the skin thickness of women in their premenopause (N = 31), perimenopause (N = 35) and early postmenopause (N = 46). The mean skin thickness in each group was 2.28 +/- 0.39 mm., 2.18 +/- 0.35 mm. and 2.02 +/- 0.36 mm. respectively. The skin thickness of women in the early postmenopausal group was significantly lower than those in the premenopausal group, but no difference was found between premenopausal and perimenopausal group nor between perimenopausal and early postmenopausal group. Furthermore, we found no correlation between skin thickness and chronological age. In conclusion, the decline in skin thickness of women entering menopause requires a period of time to undergo significant alterations and the study revealed a significant reduction of skin thickness as early as in the course of the early postmenopausal period.